Love and Cooking

The neighborhood has been further enhanced by another San Francisco institution opening up shop here. (Good Vibrations was the pioneer here in Funkytown.)

For months and months the empty storefront on one of the corners had signs all over the plate glass saying "Caffe Trieste coming soon". Then it opened up, and every time I drove by (even at 9/10 pm, or early Sunday mornings) the place had a lot of people in it. Big contrast with the outpost branch of the Evil Coffee Empire at Hollis and 65th, which rarely has a customer and seems to close down early.

I have the day off, but needed to absent myself from the house and do some trade reading to let the housecleaners do their thing. What better excuse to go nose the place out?

Well, I can figure why it's always jammed. Besides the coffee drinks and pastries, they have a wine and beer license and serve a limited but varied menu of non-breakfast food (pizza, panini, salads, soup) for reasonable prices. Like the mothership, there is a funky local vibe and regular live music. The "Happy Hour" with $3 pints and "Slice, Salad, Pint" for $6.50 must bring 'em in.

As a very recent (like, yesterday) article in the Comical says, it's got everything but the tourists.

Given the artistic funky bent of a lot of its neighbor shops, the tourists might not be too far behind. There's even an attempt to name the area: "Left Bank". Although it's "East [Bay] Beach" or "Telegraph West" to me.